“UKRINFORM” reports that medals “For military merit. 75 years of Victory over Nazism” will be awarded to both veterans of the Soviet Army and UPA militants. This was announced during an online conference by the Director of the VTO “Orden” Aleksandr Sopov.
“We award only those people who fought against Nazism in the period from September 1st 1939 to September 2nd 1945 with weapons in their hands. These are soldiers of the UPA and the Soviet Army — those who fought in 1939 both on the Western front and on the Eastern front,” said Sopov.
The Director of VTO “Orden” informed about the documents that must be submitted to receive the award and noted that the veteran’s award list must indicate their combat path.
According to Sopov, today there are less than 1000 veterans remaining in Ukraine.
Back in October 2019, the National Bank introduced a 5 hryvnia coin dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazis with the profile of a UPA militant.
“(The coin) is dedicated to honouring the heroic feat of the Ukrainian people in World War II, the liberation of Ukraine from the Nazi invaders in the autumn of 1944, and the memory and reconciliation of soldiers who gave their lives for Ukraine,” explains the NBU.
On the obverse of the coin there is a coat of arms, the inscription “Ukraine”, the year of minting of the coin, stylised images of an airplane, small arms, and a tank. You can also see the “outlines of the soldiers-defenders” – a man in a helmet and a soldier in a UPA attire.
On the reverse of the coin – stylised petals of the memory poppy, the inscription “1944-2019”, and the profile of a man holding a child with a laurel branch.
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